St Joseph Business Journal Spring 2012 by NPG Newspapers

Spring 2012

Going Up At Eastowne

Ground Broken For First Shell Building At The New Business Park

QR Codes -- New, Free Marketing Tool For Your Business

Spring 2012

BusinessBrief U.S. Bank Employees Donate Socks

American Family Insurance... for over 80 years the family you choose.

U.S. Bank employees in Lawrence and Topeka, Kan., St. Joseph, Mo., and Kansas City donated 1,440 pairs of socks to City Union Mission in Kansas City, Topeka Rescue Mission, Lawrence Community Shelter and St. Joseph Salvation Army. Representatives of the nonprofit groups will distribute the socks to local people in need. “The socks were collected at U.S. Bank’s first quarter all employee meeting,” said Michael Orozco, regional president for U.S. Bank in Kansas, Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa. “The U.S. Bank team filled large containers with socks for adults and children, an effective way for people to help others in need.” In addition, U.S. Bank employees across the company donated more than 81,000 pairs of socks to homeless shelters and other nonprofit organizations around the country. The nonprofits in those communities will also distribute the socks to people in need. More than 40,000 of U.S. Bank’s employees gathered at meeting sites in more than 71 markets to receive an update on the company’s activities, employee volunteer efforts and to share ideas as to how they can assist customers and communities.

T. Boone Pickens to Speak at MWSU Event

The legendary oil and gas entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens will be the speaker at Missouri Western State University’s Convocation on Critical Issues at T. Boone Pickens 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, in the Looney Complex. The Convocation is free and open to the public. Mr. Pickens will also participate in a question-and-answer session at a

special convocation luncheon following the speech. Ticket information for the luncheon will be announced at a later date. ‘’Pickens is outspoken on the United States’ energy policies, energy options for the future and leadership,’’ said Dan Nicoson, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the MWSU Foundation. ‘’The Missouri Western Foundation is proud to bring nationally-prominent speakers to Missouri Western and the St. Joseph area. It is uncommon for a university and community of this size to regularly hear from leading experts of national fame.’’ Mr. Pickens will be the 19th speaker in the annual Convocation on Critical Issues series funded and hosted by the MWSU Foundation. The convocation exposes students at the university, as well as area high school students and members of the community, to some of the leading thinkers in the nation. A folk hero in global business for his tenacity in the rough-and-tumble world of mergers and acquisitions, Mr. Pickens’ career has staggering breadth. He first built and led one of the largest independent natural gas and oil companies. Then, at a time in his life when many of his peers retired to the golf course, he reinvented himself by establishing one of the nation’s most successful energy-related investment funds. He chronicled the lessons he learned during his journey in his bestselling 2008 autobiography titled ‘’The First Billion is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America’s Energy Future.’’ His speech at Missouri Western will be titled ‘’Leadership and Getting Things Done: Reflections on a Lifetime of Comebacks and America’s Energy Future.’’ Ranked by Forbes as one of the world’s richest people, Mr. Pickens serves as the chairman of BP Capital Management. He is a noted energy activist who is also an innovative, committed philanthropist who has donated nearly $1 billion to charity.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

INDEX Economic Update.................................................................................4 Top Employer Profile: DuPont Nutrition & Health............................6 Career Fair Matches Workers & Employers........................................7 Benchmarking Surveys Sent For Community Input...........................8 Small Business Matters.........................................................................9 Going Up At Eastowne.......................................................................10

KCP&L and Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Partnership Opens Green Power Facility.......11 New FOX Affiliate Starts in St.Joseph Market..............................12 Member Profile: YMCA.................................................................13 Downtown Digest.........................................................................14 Positive Momentum Grows In Community..................................16 QR Codes -- Free Marketing Tools For Your Business................17 Chamber Launches App................................................................18 Parties on the Parkway Kicks Off.................................................19

2012 St. Joseph Metro Chamber BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman

Matthew Dority KCP&L

President/CEO

Ted Allison, CEcD St. Joseph Metro Chamber

Chair-Elect

Vern Middleton Midwest Federal

Secretary/Treasurer

Dr. Mark Laney Heartland Health

Ted Allison, CEcD

President & CEO allison@saintjoseph.com 816.232.4461

Shannon Jobes

Vice President, Administration jobes@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4111

Directors Brian Bradley, St. Joseph News-Press Barbara Burns, B.J. Office Products Inc. James Carolus, Hillyard Companies Dr. Gary Clapp, Institute for Industrial & Applied Life Sciences Bill Falkner, City of St. Joseph Tim Knapp, Tim Knapp Construction Co. Corky Marquart, Commerce Bank, N.A. Todd Meierhoffer, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory Byron Myers, Sr., City of St. Joseph Dan Nicoson, Missouri Western State University Foundation Dan Nowalk, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. Col. Mike Pankau, 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard

Kristi Rasmussen

Director of Communications rasmussen@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4108

Maryann Skiles

Receptionist, Administrative Assistant

skiles@saintjoseph.com

Matt Robertson, CliftonLarsonAllen Dr. Melody Smith, School District of St. Joseph Larry Stobbs, South St. Joseph Progressive Association Kylee Strough, United Way of Greater St. Joseph R.T. Turner, Buchanan County Bob Wollenman, Deluxe Truck Stop LLC Mark Woodbury, General Counsel Polsinelli Shughart P.C. Brad McAnally, Immediate Past Chair, Hy-Vee Food Stores Mike Decker, Diplomats Club Representative, Apple Market Rebecca Evans, Young Executives Network Representative, Small Business & Technology Development Center

3003 Frederick Ave. 816.232.4461 or 800.748.7856

816.364.4873 (fax) www.saintjoseph.com

816.232.4461

Economic Development

Steve Hamilton

Senior Vice President, Economic Development hamilton@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4106 816.244-9533 (cell)

Membership

Brad Lau

Director of Business Attraction and Development blau@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4110 816.244.6221 (cell)

Mary Brown

Project Manager, Administrative Assistant brown@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4102

Natalie Redmond

Vice President, Member Relations redmond@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4107

Community Alliance

Lee Robertson

Director of Membership Sales and Retention robertson@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4113

Keisha Holtman

Administrative Assistant, Membership holtman@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4101

Steve Johnston

Director of Community Alliance of Saint Joseph johnston@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4109

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

EconomicUpdate

Top 10 Employers Heartland Health Triumph Foods, LLC School District of St. Joseph Altec Industries Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. Wal-Mart American Family Insurance City of St. Joseph Sara Lee Foods Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

Health Services Meat Products Education Utility Industry Equipment Animal Pharmaceuticals

3,451 2,725 1,877 906 802

Department Store Insurance Government Meat Products Meat Products

780 777 665 650 576

Demographics

St.J oseph

business... by the good better life ! umbers

Unemployment

(March)

Population Housing units

76,780 32,495

St. Joseph Missouri

6.6 percent 7.4 percent

Average family size

United States

8.2 percent

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Triumph Foods Receives Safety Honor Triumph Foods recently was recognized for its plant’s excellent performance in the American Meat Institute Foundation’s 2011 Worker Safety Recognition Award Program. More than 130 facilities participated in this year’s program, and Triumph Foods was one of 22 plants receiving the Award of Honor. Worker safety is a total team effort and Triumph Foods’ plant has clearly demonstrated its commitment to creating a safer workplace for all meat and poultry industry workers,

said J. Patrick Boyle, President and CEO of the American Meat Institute. Triumph Foods’ point distribution on the Safety and Health Program Evaluation was as follows: summary of occupational injuries and illnesses, 325; DART (Days Away, Restricted or Transferred) rate, 325; safety and health program questionnaire, 600; for a total of 1,250. A reception and awards ceremony to recognize all of the 2011 award recipients was held on March 14, 2012, as part of the Conference on Worker Safety, Human Resources, and the Environment in Kansas City, Mo. Triumph Foods is one of St. Joseph’s largest employers with about 2,700 workers.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Why do so many businesses hire Western interns? Internships through the Steven L. Craig School of Business at Missouri Western State University provide our students with the opportunity to learn about the business world firsthand, develop their business skills and gain experience that employers are seeking when they hire recent college graduates.

The Diplomats Club of the St. Joseph Metro Chamber decorated the Apple Blossom Royalty Float for the annual Apple Blossom Parade. For more information on the festival, Sound of Speed Airshow and Better Block St. Joe, see page 14.

D.C. Fly-In Deemed a Success

By offering internships, your company or organization can provide students with extensive professional and life-based experiences. In the past, student interns have served as accounting assistants, assistant managers in retail stores, assistant loan officers, salespersons, marketing analysts, human resources assistants, claims processors, customer service assistants and more.

Call today to see what our interns can do for you! 816-271-5918 Twenty-nine leaders of the St. Joseph business and civic community traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit with members of Northwest Missouri’s federal legislative delegation. The Community Alliance of Saint Joseph coordinates the yearly venture to the nation’s capital so St. Joseph’s leaders can speak with a united voice to the region’s top policymakers about issues important to St. Joseph and Buchanan County. On March 20 and 21, the group met with Sen. Roy Blunt, Sen. Claire McCaskill and Rep. Sam Graves in Washington and their respective staff members.

“My internship met all my expectations and gave me a real boost when I applied for a position with American Family.” Amanda Hausman ’11 New Operations Associate American Family Insurance

www.missouriwestern.edu

6WHYHQ / &UDLJ 6FKRRO RI %XVLQHVV Western is an equal opportunity institution.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

TopEmployerProfile Each quarter in the Business Journal, we will profile one or more of St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top employers. A top employer may be based on number of employees, or because the business operates in a St. Joseph-focused industry. Often, residents may recognize a company name, but may not know exactly what the company does. In this question and answer piece, learn a little bit more about:

DuPont Nutrition & Health (formerly Danisco)

Manufacturers-Stabilizers/Emulsifiers/Liq. Vitamins for Dairy Industry Don Christie, Site Manager 4509 S. 50th St. St. Joseph, MO 64507 (800) 255-6837

What does the company manufacture in St. Joseph? We produce dry material blends here in St. Joseph that are used primarily in the food and beverage industry. The materials we produce are typically shipped to a food manufacturer and used as ingredients in a wide variety of food products. What foods that I purchase at the grocery store may contain your products? Our products go into many of the foods you would find in stores right here in St. Joseph including ice cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, flavored dips, yogurt, puddings, jams and jellies, candies, milk-based drinks, beverages and some bakery products. What recent investments have you made to your St. Joseph facility? We have recently kicked off a major initiative to invest in the long-term success of our facility and improve efficiencies in our systems and processes. This effort includes a program to improve the ergonomic conditions at the site. New projects include a new bulk unloading and transfer system, robotic palletizing, packing equipment changes, as well as changes to our delivery systems.

Danisco was recently purchased by DuPont, which has been diversifying its company into broader markets. How and when did Danisco start in St. Joseph? What keeps the company located here? The St. Joseph plant got its start in the early 1960s as Star Chemical Company. Through the years the business grew, moving several times to larger sites in town. The business was purchased by Danisco in the early 1990s and moved to the present site in 1997. The business has continued to grow into what it is today, now owned by DuPont. A key reason for the location of the site is the centralized location of St. Joseph in the U.S. This facility supplies businesses throughout all of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, so the location is very conducive to the success of our business. Are there any other facts that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like the readership to know?

How many people do you employ and what kinds of jobs do your workers perform? Currently we have 87 employees at the St. Joseph site and hope to increase our employment over the next several years to around 100 full-time employees. The vast majority of our positions at the site are manufacturing jobs, working primarily with the processes of dumping, blending and packaging the products we make. We have employees working in our on site lab facility testing our products, and employees working in shipping and receiving. In addition, we have several staff employees working in sourcing, planning and safety.

This is the largest site for the DuPont (formerly Danisco) food ingredient blending business in the world. This site handles about 400 raw materials at any given time. We are extremely happy to be a part of the St. Joseph business community. It has been a long standing relationship that we look forward to continuing into the future.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Career Fair Matches Workers & Employers Largest Career Fair in the region attracted more than 1,000 job seekers to Civic Arena More than 1,000 job seekers talked with 60 employers at the 2012 Career Fair, held April 17 at the Civic Arena. This is the largest career fair in Northwest Missouri. The St. Joseph Employment Coalition, in which the St. Joseph Metro Chamber participates, assists in the organization and planning for this event. Jennifer Whitson, the coalition’s chairperson, said the fair had about 10 more employers attend than the previous year. Triumph Foods had a busy booth. “A lot of people have come in to inquire about Triumph,” said Elizabeth Hessemyer, who works in Triumph’s human resources department. “It’s interesting to hear their questions.” She said she brought 400 applications with her, and with an hour to go in the Career Fair, she only had 100 left to distribute. Triumph was hiring for production jobs, but also accepting applications to be kept on file for clerical positions. Management positions are posted on Triumph’s website. Nor-Am Ice and Cold Storage also found workers at the fair and was pleasantly surprised with the number of applicants qualified for the jobs Nor-Am had available. The company had five open positions for CDL drivers and seasonal route helpers. “There were a lot more CDL applicants than we expected,” said Ashley Albers, Human Resources Manager. “We set up an interview for tomorrow with one of the candidates.” This was the first year that NorAm attended the Career Fair, but Ms. Albers and Holly Conard, Ice Manager, said they would definitely attend next year if the company had a need for more employees. Tracy Fender, of IMKO and Diversified Staffing, had attended the Career Fair before and said that

she noticed applicants were more prepared this year. “They came with resumes ready,” she said. “This year, I saw more of a skill level. Last year, I noticed lots of entry level applicants or people qualified to earn $60,000 a year. This year, there were more of the people in between.” IMKO took resumes from job seekers and then went back to the office to try to match workers with the right employers. Ms. Fender said IMKO was looking to fill temporary, seasonal and temp-tohire positions in the ag chemical, manufacturing and A line of people wait to speak with Rick Gronniger of Altec’s human resources department at the 2012 Career Fair, coordinated by the St. Joseph Employment warehousing industries. Coalition. Job seekers found the Career Fair useful. Shane Proper said he Catered or Drop-Off was looking for a good factory job, Corporate Lunches or any job with benefits. Private Corporate and “It’s been helpful,” he said. Pharmaceutical Dinners “Actually, there were several good companies to talk to.” Personalized Menus for all Occasions Brenda Bell said she talked with Candlewood Suites, a hotel that hasn’t yet opened. “I’ll be following up with them.” Thirty philanthropy groups On-site Seating for up to 60 people talked with those seeking work in in the elegant atmosphere of our the resource area of the fair. Twenty beautiful historic restaurant. booths from education providers also attended to talk with attendees about getting more job skills. Wedding Receptions Coalition Partners Are: Rehearsal Dinners • City of St. Joseph, MO • KKJO/KSJQ/KFEQ/KESJ Birthday Parties • St. Joseph Metro Chamber Reunions • Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas • MO Vocational Rehabilitation • MO Career Center/MEC • R! KC • United Way • Family Guidance Center • Heartland Health • St. Joseph News-Press

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St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Benchmarking Surveys Sent For Community Input

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In May, citizens from St. Joseph and Buchanan County will be randomly selected to participate in the 2012 Community Survey. The survey, sponsored by the Community Alliance of Saint Joseph, is a way to gauge the interest of residents in community improvement efforts. More than 1,800 surveys will be mailed to residents from north, east, west, south and midtown parts of St. Joseph and throughout Buchanan County. The Community Alliance first surveyed residents in the spring of 2010. That survey had a 36 percent response rate from citizens. ETC Institute in Olathe, Kan., administers the survey and tabulates the results. It works with more than 500 cities across America. “It is important to note that all of the individual survey results remain confidential, but the composite or total of the survey is shared widely,” said Ted Allison, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Metro Chamber. “Transparency is important and the results will be available to everyone.” Steve Johnston, Community Alliance Director, said that the 2012 survey is very important because it will allow for benchmarking. “We’ll compare these results with our 2010 results so we can see how the community is changing,” he said. “Because our questions are similar to questions asked of other ETC customers, we can compare our results with other communities in the Midwest. This helps us know if we’re moving in the right direction, or how to change for the future.” The survey is administered as part of an effort to assess citizen satisfaction with the quality

of services provided by local government agencies and to gauge resident perception on many community issues like livability, health, education and economic development. The information gathered in the survey helps community leaders review budget priorities and refine policy decisions. The survey has a 95 percent level of confidence because of its random and wide distribution. “We encourage everyone who receives the survey to take the time necessary to complete it and return in the postage-paid, return envelope,” Mr. Allison said. “Your input is valuable, and we want our residents to know that they are important to our planning process in St. Joseph and Buchanan County.” The Community Alliance of Saint Joseph promotes a shared vision for the community through collective input from citizens to provide a strategic plan and implementation process to help St. Joseph optimize its potential. The St. Joseph Metro Chamber is an Alliance partner. Highlights from the 2010 survey: Overall Community Perceptions – 72 percent of residents surveyed (who had an opinion) indicated that they were satisfied with St. Joseph and Buchanan County as a place to raise children; 70 percent were satisfied with the community as a place to live and 67 percent were satisfied with the feeling of safety in the City. Eighty-two percent of residents surveyed (who had an opinion) were satisfied with the quality of St. Joseph’s fire protection and 65 percent were satisfied with St. Joseph’s police protection.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Project Management Should Be Daily Living for Small Businesses Many owners and managers of small businesses seem to be putting out fires more often than they are planning for their future success. This is partly due to the fact that small business owners wear so many hats: owner, bookkeeper, supervisor, salesman, etc. Those vast responsibilities can easily stretch anyone too thin, making them a jack of all trades, but master of none. Fortunately, there is a solution to the seemingly endless cycle of daily emergencies. The solution is a methodology known simply as “project management.” Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific goals and objectives. Small business owners are already familiar with these concepts, but the execution of the concepts is always the difficult part. It has been noted that even CEOs of large corporations generally have great planning and organizing skills. But, only the successful CEOs have the ability to implement their plans. After all, planning without implementation is like a fire log without a fire…it’s

ready to be burned, but without the action (lighting the fire) you won’t get any heat from it. To utilize project management as an implementation tool for success, you first must understand the process and the tools involved. The project management process includes four basic steps: (1) agreeing on the terms of the project, (2) planning, (3) monitoring, and (4) evaluating. These steps are detailed below: Step 1: Agree on the terms of the project, which include goals, outcomes, criteria, parameters, scope, range, sources, participants, budgets, and a timeline. Communicate the terms to the appropriate people. Step 2: Plan the project keeping in mind the agreed-upon terms. Some tools to assist in the planning process could include a fishbone diagram during the brainstorming phase, as well as a Gantt chart,

SmallBusinessMatters which is extremely helpful with tracking the progress of any project. Gantt charts state what the tasks are, who is assigned to each task, the timeline to begin and end each task, and the progress you’re making on the project. To see examples of Gantt charts, visit Wikipedia online. Remember to allow time in your project for possible complications. Something always seems to pop up! Communicate the plan to the appropriate people. Step 3: Monitor the project. Keep in mind budgets, timeline, and possible complications. Identify any problems and solve them quickly, then recalculate the timeline for completion. Communicate the progress or complications to the appropriate people. Step 4: Evaluate the project once it’s completed. Involve all

participants during the evaluation process and assess how the project could be improved next time. This is a valuable step in the project management process that should not be neglected. Continuous improvement is the key to future success. The project management process is used by many successful organizations including manufacturing, information technology, construction, engineering, as well as for research and development. For more information on how to implement the project management methodology for your retail, service, or manufacturing business, please contact Rebecca Evans with Northwest Missouri State University’s Small Business & Technology Development Center.

Ray A. Sisson, CCIM Serving only Commercial Clients Retail — Office — Industrial

I’LL HELP YOU PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER. Fishbone Example

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1910 Roseport Industrial 14,160 SF

4229 Frederick Retail 5,196 SF

2403 Olive Mixed Use 3,168 SF

1025 N. 22nd Office 6,217 SF

Rebecca Evans is the Regional Director of the SBTDC. You may contact her at: 816-364-4105 or evans@saintjoseph.com The Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) is located inside the St. Joseph Metro Chamber. You do not need to be a member of the Chamber to receive services. The SBTDC can complete a walk-through of your business to determine if there are any wastes that are causing your operation to run inefficiently and what can be done to correct those situations. All services performed by the SBTDC are pre-paid by the Small Business Administration, so there is never a charge to the business.

2700 N. Belt Hwy, St. Joseph, MO 64506 816-383-8604 • 800-530-5938 • www.raysisson.net

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Going Up At Eastowne

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for First Shell Building at Business Park

Business and community leaders gathered on April 5 for a groundbreaking ceremony for a shell building at Eastowne Business Park. This will be the first shell building in this park.

Eastowne Business Park is located near Pickett and Riverside roads. It has space available for office, warehouse, financial/business park needs.

The corner of Riverside and Pickett roads may look like a wide, open space, but very soon it will be the location of St. Joseph’s newest business park. The St. Joseph Metro Chamber held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 5 for a new shell building to be built in Eastowne Business Park. A shell building is a partiallybuilt structure that is intentionally left unfinished in order to remain flexible to the needs of a potential buyer. This shell building will have 50,000 square feet and is designed to be easily expanded. It will be positioned on a lot so its owner can more than double the size of the original building without having to buy any additional land. This will be the fifth shell building to be built in St. Joseph; however, it is the first for Eastowne Business Park. “Historically, the Shell Building Program has helped the Chamber generate a higher level of prospect flow into the community, as well as accommodate expanding local businesses,” said Ted Allison, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Metro Chamber. “The building helps us attract outside prospects to visit our community.” A crowd of government and community leaders were on hand to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony. “This is something that is just the beginning out here,” said Ron Hook, Buchanan County Western District Commissioner. “We want to attract as many companies and businesses as diverse as possible to come out here and be a part of this growth.” Building a new business park is essential for the growth of St. Joseph’s economic development future. “This reflects a community that is progressive and proactive,” said Corky Marquart. Ms. Marquart, of Commerce

Bank, is the Vice Chair of Economic Development for the St. Joseph Metro Chamber Board of Directors. “That is a message that we want to deliver. Shell buildings have been critical to the Industrial Park expansion over the years.” Through the 18-year lifespan of Mitchell Woods Business Park, the St. Joseph Business Park Corporation developed a series of four shell buildings, which was instrumental in making Mitchell Woods the success it has been. Today, there are nearly 2,000 employees in Mitchell Woods Business Park and a wide variety of employers. “Our Shell Building Program is credited with generating much of that success,” Mr. Allison said. This shell building was able to be built because of public/private partnership. “This is something other communities try to emulate,” Mr. Allison said. “It’s a public/private partnership – that’s a community that comes together to make some things happen.” Members of the Eastowne Building Investors LLC, which helped make this shell building possible, include Heartland Health, Herzog Contracting Corp., St. Joseph News-Press, St. Joseph Industrial Foundation, Inc., City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County and the St. Joseph Metro Chamber. Financing for the project was provided by a consortium of local lendors including Nodaway Valley Bank, First Bank of Missouri, Commerce Bank, UMB Bank and Midwest Federal.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

One tract, full 115.42 acres or will subdivide into smaller lots

Eastowne Business Park is a unique, 350-acre, mixed office and industrial development nestled in the heart of the country in St. Joseph, Mo. With a focus on flexibility and accommodating the interests of diverse corporations, Eastowne Business Park offers a wide array of options for business endeavors. This property was skillfully designed to serve the needs of light manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, warehousers, hightech outfits, and other companies that require attractive, cost-competitive space for their operations. The breakdowns for available space are:

Shell Building

SOLD 22.72 acres to KCP&L for electrical substation

Business Park = 240+ acres Office/Warehouse = 45+ acres Office/Financial = 15+ acres With easy access to all major transportation channels, including immediate access to Interstate 29 and U.S. Highway 36, a multi-modal port offering rail and barge access and nearby airports, plus a full range of low-cost utilities available, Eastowne Business Park is an ideal environment where business will prosper.

KCP&L and City’s Partnership Opens Green Power Facility Landfill gas from city landfill turned into usable power by local utility provider A partnership between KCP&L and the City of St. Joseph is turning methane gas into power. KCP&L built a methane gas collection system at the City’s 90-acre landfill. The local utility provider operates the facility, while the City will operate and maintain the system. The plant converts captured methane gas from inside the landfill into enough electricity to power nearly 1,000 homes on an annual basis, according to KCP&L. The project includes 52 wells that cover 70 acres, according to KCP&L. The wells condense and collect the methane gas and a 1.6 reciprocating engine/generator converts the gas to electricity distributed through KCP&L’s grid. The system operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The landfill generating station will help keep the St. Joseph landfill gate fee the lowest in the state. It will also increase local electric generation, and KCP&L and the City will share the value of the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) received and carbon offset credits that are produced by the process.

KCP&L was awarded a subgrant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to assist in the development of the Landfill GasTo-Energy project. Funds are made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Transform Missouri initiative, and administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “Using Missouri-based renewable resources to generate heat and electricity creates jobs, boosts local economies and bolsters our energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign sources of fuel,” said Gov. Jay Nixon, who attended the event. “Don’t you like it when somebody calls trash ‘Missouribased renewable resources?’” “So please, everyone, continue to be renewable,” he joked. “This is a great opportunity to show what partnerships really can do when we work together for a common cause,” said Mayor Bill Falkner. “It is exciting to have something like this happen in our community.”

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

New FOX Affiliate Starts in St. Joseph Market NPG broadens local activity to offer new station television providers in the region. The new services are expected to go on air in late spring. Information about broadcast channel designations and the availability of the stations on area cable systems will be announced at that time. FOX is the leading broadcast television network among teens, adults ages 18-34 and the broader category of adults ages 18-49. Its mix of primetime programming, major sports and late-night entertainment includes such mega-franchises as NFL Football, “American Idol,” “The Simpsons” and “Glee.” NPG plans to add to these offerings by investing heavily in local news. It expects to offer New satellites have gone up in the St. Joseph News-Press parking lot in downtown more than two hours of news St. Joseph for NPG’s new FOX station. daily. “For the first time, viewers will be able receive a FOX-affiliated production positions. in the city and in the nearby region station with truly local news The overall project will require programming,” said Eric Bradley, a physical change to the newspaper’s newly-appointed general manager for property. An array of satellite the local broadcast properties. receiving dishes will be positioned on “Northwest Missouri and the northwest edge of the News-Press Northeast Kansas have proven to parking lot. Plans call for construction be exceptional markets for what we of a brick-walled enclosure that will can provide – news, information incorporate architectural features and entertainment programming consistent with the newspaper’s We are a Design/Build Contractor with full service capability. Utilizing Pre-Engineered Building Systems allows us to developed with attention to the historic building. economically provide quality buildings for commercial, retail, specific needs and interests of local No new antenna tower is industrial, institutional and religious applications. people and businesses,” he said. “We required for the broadcast operations. couldn’t be more pleased than to be Instead, antennas will be mounted to able to announce these long-term an existing tower located southeast of investments and the new services Downtown St. Joseph. we will be able to provide for both While well-known locally for viewers and advertisers in this region.” its publishing ventures and its past QUALITY CONSTRUCTION SINCE 1974 Mr. Bradley said the FOX station ownership of St. Joseph Cablevision, will share resources with News-Press News-Press & Gazette Co. actually 3 NOW, which the company founded, has long experience as owner and sold in April 2011 and recently operator of broadcast television agreed to reacquire from Suddenlink stations. Communications. The company’s current Both stations will work out of broadcast operations include about studios in the News-Press newsroom 30 network-affiliated stations in in downtown St. Joseph. The staffs seven markets in the western United will be closely integrated with the States. news operations of the News-Press, Mr. Bradley most recently was and several additional staff members general manager of the company’s 621 S 5th-St. Joseph, MO 64501 • 816-232-8000 • www.systembuildersinc.com will be recruited for news, sales and stations in Bend, Ore.

News-Press & Gazette Co. recently announced it is sharply increasing its stake in local television, including launching a new FOX TV station in St. Joseph as the centerpiece of several significant steps to extend the company’s services in the city and the surrounding region. The company also will be adding Spanish-language Telemundo and the entertainment network The CW to its lineup of locally-owned and managed stations. The moves follow another recent announcement that the company is reacquiring News-Press 3 NOW, the local weather and news service. The over-the-air license acquired by NPG allows the company to broadcast signals for all three network stations – FOX, Telemundo and The CW – to digital antennas within about a 30-mile radius of the tower in St. Joseph. In addition, the company plans to offer the stations to cable

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St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

MemberProfile YMCA 315 S. Sixth St. St. Joseph MO 64501 (816) 233-9622 www.stjoymca.org

The St. Joseph Family YMCA has begun its 129th year of service as one of the largest human care organizations in the St. Joseph area. The growth of the area and the YMCA has been synonymous. The St. Joseph Family YMCA was organized and incorporated in 1882. The first YMCA building was built in 1887 at Seventh and Felix streets at a cost of $60,000. After 25 years, another YMCA was built for a cost of $200,000 at 10th and Faraon streets. This “Y” was recognized as one of the finest YMCAs of its time in the West. This YMCA also had its own business school and law school. In 1924, N.S. Hillyard gave 22 acres of land near Garrettsburg, Mo., to the YMCA for a permanent campsite for youth. After two capital campaigns in 1978, the building the Y is presently located in, at 315 S. Sixth St., was opened in December. Y’s Kids World began at Missouri Western State College (now University) in 1989, with 69 children enrolled for the fall semester. Y’s Kids World earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 2004 -- the nation’s leading

organization of early childhood professionals. The YMCA purchased the Explorers Early Learning Center at 2302 Angelique St. Both centers are now accredited and have received high QRS ratings. In 2006 the Y began a Revitalization Project Campaign with a goal of $326,000 to improve the health and fitness of all individuals in the St. Joseph community. The new “Lifestyles Wellness Center” opened in October 2006. This was a result of the Revitalization Project Campaign. In 2009, the YMCA Board approved another capital campaign process. The non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Buchanan County, the City of St. Joseph and the YMCA was approved in September 2010 by the St. Joseph City Council. The lease agreement with the County was signed December 2010 and the “Building Dreams-Growing Lives” Capital Campaign was launched on January 2011. This campaign will feature the opening of a new YMCA near the Shoppes at North Village. The Y Community Campus has a tentative groundbreaking date set for July 2013.

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‘Sound of Summer’ to Kick Off The St. Joseph Downtown Association is proud to announce its 2012 “Sounds of Summer” Concert Series June 1 -- Friends and Family June 8 -- Mama Ray June 15 -- Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival

Spring 2012

June 22 -- Swift Kik June 29 - Missouri Lions All-State High School Band opening for Borderline July 6 -- Blue 88 July 13 -- Charlie & the Stingrays July 20 -- The Motors July 27 -- Earnest James Zydeco Band August 3 -- Az One August 10 -- Blue Oyster Culture Club

All concerts will be held at Felix Street Square, Seventh and Felix streets from 6 to 9 p.m. The Downtown Association will have food and beverages available for purchase and encourages people to come out, relax and enjoy the beautiful ambience of downtown.

Thousands Attend Sound of Speed Air Show

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Thousands of people turned out for the action-packed thrills of the 2012 “Sound of Speed” Air Show, International Edition, held on May 5 and 6 at Rosecrans Memorial Airport. This year’s show featured the spectacular high energy of the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s most technologically-advanced fighter. A heritage flight with the Raptor and a P-51 Mustang, which was considered to be one of the greatest fighters to

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Spring 2012

DowntownDigest Information provided by the St. Joseph Downtown Partnership be used in World War II, was awe inspiring, said Rhabecca Boerkircher, Executive Director of the St. Joseph Downtown Partnership. Other acts at this year’s show included Team RV, the largest formation team in the country; the Red Stars Chinese fighters; Neal Darnall’s Flashfire jet truck, which was back dropped by a wall of fire; the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs; B-2 Stealth Bomber; Tim Weber with a aerobatics act sponsored by Geico; a C-130 Hercules Airdrop demonstration; L-29 Flyover; Randy Ball flying a MIG 17; the Tombstone Riders wingwalking act; the Canandian SkyHawks parachute team “Lady Liberty,” an A-26 Invader and the only Americanmade bomber to see combat action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam; and John Klatt, with an aerobatic demonstration sponsored by the Air National Guard. Static displays of planes from Germany, Italy and Spain were featured for the audience to see. The show was hosted by the City, Buchanan County, the St. Joseph Metro Chamber and the Missouri Air National Guard, 139th Airlift Wing. Tremendous support from sponsorships from many local companies made this world class air show possible. Proceeds from the event will be shared among chosen local charities.

Better Block St. Joe Brings Life to Old Block The Better Block St. Joe Project took place during Apple Blossom weekend, May 4 and 5, with hundreds of spectators coming downtown to see a vision for the future. The project, which was entirely driven by volunteers, provided residents with a glimpse of what downtown could become. The ultimate goal was to change negative perceptions of downtown and entice

new businesses to set-up shop. Rundown buildings that have been vacant for several years were brought back to life for this weekend demonstration. Volunteers painted walls, put up awnings, covered damaged facades, and moved temporary pop-up businesses inside empty storefronts to create the feeling of a vibrant and thriving downtown. Street parking was replaced with bistro tables and plants to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment. More than 30 pop-up businesses were staged for the Better Block Project, which included three art galleries, a coffee shop, bakery, florist, farmer’s market, and a vintage clothing store. One of the biggest hits was the Cuban restaurant, which sold out of food both days of the event. Organizers from Mo-Kan Regional Council, the City, and several other local businesses anticipate a second Better Block St. Joe Project to take place within the next year. The next location has not yet been determined, but one thing is for certain, it will occur downtown. To join future Better Block efforts, contact Mo-Kan Regional Council at (816) 233-3144, or e-mail Matt Buchanan at matt@mo-kan.org, or Roni Mauer at roni@mo-kan.org.

Apple Blossom Parade, BBQ Contest Held Apple Blossom weekend kicked off Friday, May 4, with the annual barbecue contest in Civic Center Park. The aroma of smoked meats filled Frederick Avenue on Friday night and Saturday. On Saturday, it was a warm morning, but excitement filled the air, said Michelle Wolfe, executive director of the Apple Blossom Parade. The parade started at 9:30 a.m. with Brigadier General Steve Cotter as the grand marshal. He was followed

by Apple Blossom Royalty, dignitaries Noyes and Frederick and continued and about 100 parade entries. on the parade route down Frederick This year’s theme was Avenue, giving spectators a taste of “Destination: St. Joseph.” Entries what they could expect at the Air followed the theme, but destinations Show,” Ms. Wolfe said. from St. Joseph participants ranged from Phil Welch Stadium and Krug Park to Egypt. A highlight of the parade was the flyover by the Team RV Air Show. “Squeals, ooohs and aaaahs followed the five planes as they flew over the start of the parade at Johnson Controls entered a float into the Apple Blossom Parade.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Positive Momentum Grows In Community as City Looks to CIP St. Joseph voters are ready to move the community forward. This is evident from the support given this year to two initiatives: the Buchanan County Capital Improvement Program and the St. Joseph School District bond initiative. “We’re very excited to see positive results from these two elections,” said Steve Johnston, Director of the Community Alliance of Saint Joseph. “We hope to see this continue in the city’s upcoming election.” In February, voters approved the continuance of a quartercent sales tax for county capital improvements and economic development efforts. The issue passed with 64 percent of voters in approval. “By renewing the County Capital Improvement Tax, it will allow us to continue to work on economic development projects through the attraction of new companies and the expansion of existing companies,” said R.T.

Turner, Buchanan County Presiding Commisioner. “Also, it will help in the effort to bring better-paying jobs into the community. It enables us to continue to upgrade Sheriff’s Department vehicles, as well as pay for equipment and additional equipment to upgrade county roads. This enhances public safety in our community. Another project to begin this year is restoration work on the exterior of the courthouse building. This will help enhance the downtown area and build community pride.” The positivity continued in April, when more than 65 percent of voters approved the school district bond issue to build two new schools and air condition all of the elementary schools. “Frequently out-of-town colleagues have asked me about our community. Frequently I respond that we are a ‘come-back’ community — translated — at times as a community we experience challenges and obstacles that appear unconquerable, but at the end of the

day, we are a comeback community,” said Dr. Melody Smith, Superintendent of the St. Joseph School District. “In St. Joseph, we never give up! Potential is unrealized until there is momentum. We now have momentum! Let’s move forward and continue to do what’s Brad McAnally, Chairman of the Community Alliance right for St. Joseph!” of Saint Joseph, Mayor Bill Falkner, Superintendent Next up is the Melody Smith and Presiding Commissioner R.T. Turner City of St. Joseph’s extension of a one-half discuss winning ways at a recent Community Alliance meeting. cent sales tax for its Capital Improvement with CIP funds were recommended Program (CIP). This would have a by a committee of local residents. six-year sunset clause and be decided Those projects include street repair, by voters on Aug. 7, if the City replacement of a 1970s armored Council approves it being put on the vehicle for the police department, ballot at its May 14 meeting (held replacement of two fire stations and a after the production deadline). pumper truck for the fire department, The tax should generate more and repairs to parks and city ball than $30 million and would fund 21 fields. The projects also had to be capital improvement projects in the approved by the City Council at its city. The projects to be addressed meeting.

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Spring 2012

QR Codes -- Free Marketing Tools for Your Business Learn how to use this new fad to help bolster your marketing efforts for free What are black, white, square, squiggly and popping up all over the place? QR codes -- and they may be the next technology fad to help market your business. A QR, or quick response, code is a 2D bar code that can encode arbitrary text strings. It’s similar to a regular barcode found on products, says Nate Arnold, a freelance FrontEnd Developer in St. Joseph, but it can store information in greater amounts. So, instead of a bar code just bringing up the price of an item in a grocery store, a QR code can give you much more information, and in a much more interesting fashion. QR scanners can be downloaded for free onto any “smartphone,” like an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android. Phone users

can then scan a QR code on a product and the phone will take the user to a website, initiate a phone call or e-mail, download an app, enter you into a contest, etc. The possibilities are nearly endless. While they are still a novelty here in the U.S., they have been in use for more than a decade in Japan (where they were invented), Mr. Arnold said. “If widely adopted, QR codes can be a very quick way to direct potential customers to an action or just to connect and engage with an audience,” he said. “While they are just one of many forms of advertising, these codes are relatively inexpensive to create and use, which is why I believe more and more businesses will be using them.”

Mr. Arnold warned attendees at a recent St. Joseph Metro Chamber luncheon against simply having a QR code take a user to a website. The website may not be mobile-phone friendly, and, if a customer wanted to go to a website, they probably would have done so already. Customers expect something unique or to be able to make a specific action when they scan QR codes. There are many potential uses for QR codes and places businesses could put them. For example, a job seeker could put a QR code on his resume and when an employer scanned it, the code could bring up a YouTube video of the applicant explaining why he’s the best candidate for a job. Or, a restaurant could put a QR code

on a promotional table decoration, and when scanned, it could bring up a coupon for use at that visit. QR codes can even be used to directly impact your bottom line. Have the code on a newsletter link to a PayPal or other vending site to purchase a product, a ticket for an event, or make a donation to charity. These codes can be placed on a wide variety of materials, like business cards, stickers, clothes, and one Lunch and Learn attendee reported he’d seen a QR code imprinted on a banana peel. Mr. Arnold did advise to be clear with customers on what the code will do. For example, if scanning the code will take a customer to a product review, print “to see customer reviews of this product, scan this code.”

Ready to get started? QR codes are very simple and free to generate. There are plenty of sites online that will generate codes. Mr. Arnold personally recommended these sites. • delivr.com -- generates codes from websites and tracks how they are used • qrstuff.com -- generates codes, in any color, that will bring up websites, initiate calls, texts or e-mails, calendar events and PayPal • bitqr.com -- creates a QR driven vCard (contact information) to put on business cards • research.swtch.com/qr/draw -- encodes pieces of art or logo into the design on the QR code Scan this code to like the Chamber on Facebook.

Scan this code to follow the Chamber on Twitter. This code was made at qrstuff.com

Koala bear photo

Can you see the Koala bear in this code made at the fourth site above? Scan it to go to that site.

Scan this code, made at bitqr. com, to get all of the Chamber’s contact information, including Facebook and Twitter.

Mr. Arnold’s QR Codes presentation was the first session of the Small Business Technology Series. A second session, on Pinterest and your business, was held on May 15. Two more sessions remain. The series is free and is hosted by the St. Joseph Metro Chamber and Small Business & Technology Development Center. It is presented by the Institute for Industrial and Applied Life Sciences. Lunch and the educational session are free, but RSVP is required to Keisha Holtman, holtman@ saintjoseph.com, or (816) 364-4101. For more information on upcoming sessions, see www.saintjoseph.com.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Chamber Launches App One-stop-app for St. Joseph business & community info

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As more and more people use their smart phones to consume and search for information, it’s more important than ever to provide mobile technology. That’s why the St. Joseph Metro Chamber is launching the Go St. Joe smart phone application for finding information about all things St. Joseph. The free app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry is an exciting new tool to connect the St. Joseph community and St. Joseph Metro Chamber members. “Our staff is always looking for ways to help Chamber members grow their business,” said Ted Allison, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Metro Chamber. “Launching this mobile app is a cutting-edge way to do just that.” Finding information about St. Joseph businesses has never been easier. With a couple of taps on your smart phone, a resident or visitor can call or map the address of a business, or click through to its website. The Go St. Joe app offers the following: Direct Call – Users can take advantage of one-touch dialing to call each business member GPS–Enabled Mapping – Each business is pinpointed on an easyto-navigate map Search – Users can search by business category, name or location Deals –Users can find out about member coupons, discounts and special offers Near Me – If a user wants to

see what businesses are near them, he or she can click on the “near me” feature and the category of business he or she is interested in and see what Chamber members are nearby. QR Scanner – Users can scan QR codes with the Go St. Joe app The mobile app is not only a high-tech version of a typical membership directory, it also offers an easy way to RSVP to Chamber events and get Chamber news. But, the app isn’t only appealing for Chamber members. Residents and visitors alike should download the app to locate businesses and also find information on community events and news. There are links in the app to community and tourism events. There are also links to local news sites and the Chamber’s Facebook and Twitter pages. “We’re confident that this app will be a useful tool for Chamber members, St. Joseph and surrounding community residents as well as tourists,” Mr. Allison said. “The Chamber strives to be a technological leader for the business community, and we feel this app helps us reach that goal.” To download the app, go to your smart phone’s application store, search for Go St. Joe and download for free. Chamber members were also offered the chance to advertise on the app. Please click on the banner ads to show your support of these advertisers.

St. Joseph BUSINESS JOURNAL

Spring 2012

Parties on the Parkway Celebrates Music, Community & Parks The Chamber’s 11th year of Parties on the Parkway started in May and will continue through September Hundreds of St. Joseph residents come out each year to different locations along St. Joseph’s unique Parkway system to soak up some sun, enjoy some refreshments and listen to some great, local and live music. Admission is FREE so there’s no reason not to join the fun. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Please bring lawn chairs or blankets. No alcoholic beverages may be brought in to the event. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Park. All parties are from 5 to 8 p.m. This year, make sure to look for a “Party Passport.” Get it stamped at three of the five events for a chance to win great prizes! Parties on the Parkway, an effort with the City of St. Joseph, is presented by Nodaway Valley Bank.

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Spring 2012

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